


Sasha x Niccolo One Shots

by Claireisclaire



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Adorable, Ballroom Dancing, Confessions, Cooking, Cute, Dancing, F/M, Falling In Love, Fix It Fic, Fix-It, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, Love Confessions, Modern Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan, Mutual Pining, NO DEATH, No Angst, One Shot, Season 4 Spoilers, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan References, Some angst, Spoilers, Strangers to Lovers, Wholesome, sashaxniccolo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-16 05:01:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29570736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Claireisclaire/pseuds/Claireisclaire
Summary: Some Sasha x Niccolo one-shot short stories (Requests are open)
Relationships: Sasha Blouse/Niccolo
Comments: 18
Kudos: 116





	1. I never planned on meeting you

**Author's Note:**

> Sasha comes home from the night shift while Niccolo is cooking.

Sasha swayed side to side as she walked slowly back to the barracks. She had just gotten off night duty and was dying to pass out on her warm soft bed. Her eyes were half-closed as she stumbled up the stairs. She remembered to take off her boots at the door and kicked them under the wooden bench, they did not match the nice uniform line the rest of the shoes were in. She would face the wrath of the captain tomorrow, she was too tired to organize her shoes. 

Her hand gripped the staircase railing, preparing to pull herself up inch by inch until she found her room. 

A sweet smell caused her to pause, she took a deep inhale and saliva dripped out the side of her mouth. She let go of the railing and wandered sleepily into the kitchen. Her sightline was thin and blurry, only seeing small fragments of floor and chairs that she ran into. 

“Oh...Miss Blouse-” Niccolo gripped the wooden spoon he was mixing with and stood up a bit straighter. 

Sasha made a groaning noise and walked closer, a shaky hand outstretched towards the boiling pot. 

Niccolo quickly grabbed her wrist away from the hot pot, letting the spoon disappear into the stew. 

“You don’t want this, it’s not ready to be eaten yet. It’s not even good-”

Sasha reached out with her other hand, Niccolo grabbed it as well and pushed them down and together. 

“Stop, you’ll burn yourself.” 

Niccolo looked at the young devil of Paradis, she had not been what he pictured when he was told stories of them. He had imagined crazed savages who would kill without question, torture for fun, and overall reak chaos on the world. He hadn’t imagined any of them young and definitely didn’t imagine them this cute. 

He shook his head, not cute. They live in a backward society, they willingly hunt Titans and have no sense of manners in the slightest. Yelena finds them enchanting and Onyankopon is impressed by their adaptiveness. Niccolo had intended on keeping his distance. He hated Marleyans just as much as the rest of them, but by no means was he going to become buddy-buddy with the Survey Corps. No, he intended to keep his head down, cook the food, drink with his friends, go to bed, wake up and do it all over again. He wasn’t a fighter, he wasn’t a soldier, he was a chef. 

Niccolo could admit that he was filled with pride at the enthusiastic response he got from his cooking when he first arrived. They were stunned by seafood, and graciously ate everything, and by everything he meant everything. The bald one, whoever his name was, almost choked on the shell of the lobster, not even knowing that he couldn’t eat it. They praised him, asked for seconds and sometimes thirds. 

But no one loved his cooking more than Sasha. She would always be the first to every meal if she wasn’t on duty, and even when she was, she would sneak up and steal some food and run back before he could catch her. 

He once caught her stuffing raw shrimp in the pockets of her jacket, hoarding it. She almost took his fingers off when he tried to take them back. He had to explain to her that he had to cook it or else it would make her sick. That conversation took a while, but after some help from the tall horse-looking one and the bald one, she had been separated from the shrimp and was sent off.  
Niccolo had banned her from the kitchen, which lasted about two days. She had, reluctantly, stood right outside the kitchen in the door frame, or sometimes she would peak through the window, and watch him cook. He could feel her eyes watching him, watching his hands cut up the vegetables and boil the pasta. His face would flush whenever he heard her compliment him. It was always along the lines of: “Mister Niccolo is a genius”, “Mister Niccolo makes the best dinner”. He would smile, nod, and quickly slide over another plate of food. 

“Miss Braus, it’s past midnight, you should be in bed.” 

Sasha groaned and mumbled, “food.” 

“It’s just something I’ve been working on, I don’t know if it tastes good.” 

“Please?” Sasha’s eyes opened a little wider. 

Niccolo saw that they were slightly red from keeping them open for so long, she must have been working all day. He knew she had probably had dinner, he hadn’t seen her at the table, but a lot of them worked days in the forest or out by the train tracks, so they had brought baskets of food for them. 

But maybe there hadn’t been enough? Maybe the food went bad in the hot sun and she had gone hungry? The rest of the squad had come back early, she was to stay out there until the next night shift, so if she hadn’t eaten dinner she would be starving. 

Niccolo sighed, closing his eyes. “Fine, but don’t touch the pot. It’s hot.” 

Sasha nodded obediently and stepped back, her eyes now fully closed. 

Niccolo grabbed tongs and fished the wooden spoon out of the boiling pot. It was covered in thick red sauce. He wiped the handle off with a rag and raised it to his nose to smell. 

The sauce had a marinara scent to it, with garlic and green onions it had a bit of a tang. He took a small lick and put the spoon down. He added a few more spices and a pinch of salt. Stirring it around a few times, he looked back at Sasha, who was humming and swaying side to side, her mouth turned upwards in a smile. 

When he raised the spoon again he found his hand was shaking. Why was he nervous? Sasha would eat a rock if she were told it was a lump of rare, exotic meat. He held his other hand underneath the spoon to keep it from dropping on the floor. 

“Open up,” he said. 

Sasha did and Niccolo guided the spoon to her mouth. Her mouth closed around the edge and her eyes flew open so fast it made Niccolo flinch. 

Sasha grabbed the spoon and tried to put the whole thing in her mouth. 

“Ah, don’t-” Niccolo grabbed the end and yanked. Sasha held on to the spoon with her teeth. “Stop,” he couldn’t help but chuckle as he lightly tried to take back the utensil. “If you let it go, I’ll get you a bowl.” With that, Sasha let go, but her eyes followed Niccolo as he went to the cupboard. 

He was about to dip the spoon back into the pot when he noticed the teeth marks that had dented it, he put it down and picked up a ladle. 

Niccolo stood next to Sasha as she shoved spoonful after spoonful of the stew into her mouth. 

“Thoughts?”

“It’s delicious. You’re a god, Mister Niccolo.” Sasha said, the corners of her mouth stained with the red sauce. 

Niccolo turned away, grabbing a new rag to use as a napkin. He took the time to try to force the redness from his cheeks. 

“I doubt that, but I’m glad you like.” 

By the time he returned the bowl was empty and Sasha was smiled, satisfied. She raised her arm to wipe her mouth with her sleeve when Niccolo stopped her. 

“We have napkins for a reason, Miss Braus.” He used the rag to wipe the remnants of the food off her mouth and chin. 

“You can call me Sasha.” 

Niccolo smiled at the empty bowl, “only if you call me Niccolo.” 

“Deal.”

Sasha held out her hand, Niccolo took it, they both just stood there, hands collapsed. 

“Your hands are cold,” he placed his other hand on top of hers. 

“Yeah, it gets pretty cold at night.” 

“Don’t you have gloves?”

Sasha shook her head, “no. Usually, we just used scarves, but it’s so hot during the day, no one brings their scarf. Except for Mikasa, of course, but she never lets us use it.” Sasha looked at her bowl. “Is there enough for another two bowls?”

Niccolo smiled and dropped his hands from hers. “Yes, but maybe start with just one bowl and then you can decide if you want more after that.” 

“Oh, not for me. For you!” 

“You want me to eat...with you?”

Sasha nodded furiously. 

Niccolo grabbed another bowl, filled them both up, and went to stand next to her. He took a tentative sip, savoring the taste in his mouth before swallowing. His head drooped and he placed the spoon back in the bowl. 

“Don’t you like it?” Sasha asked. 

“It’s okay, but it’s not quite right. It was my grandfather’s recipe, or, well, part of it.” Niccolo looked at Sasha who was looking at him, not watching as small splashes of the stew were falling out of the bowl. “I’ve been trying to figure out the rest of it, but I’m just not getting it right.” 

“What do you mean? It’s amazing.” 

“My grandfather had a restaurant in Marley. This dish was his special, everyone came to eat it. Even Marleyan elites would visit, or hire him for events. It was a secret recipe, he was the only one who knew how to make it.” Niccolo pushed the stew around with his spoon, watching the barley flakes float around. “Then one day there was a fire, my grandfather was in the hospital, he was very sick so he wasn’t at the store. It was officially labeled an accident, but money from the register was taken and stuff was stolen. Anyway, the secret recipe was hidden in a book and when I went to find it, half of it had burned off. Grandfather didn’t get better so I couldn’t ask him to rewrite it.” Niccolo rested his chin on his palm. “I remember the taste, it’s burned into me like a mark but I...I can’t seem to get it right. I’m not the chef my grandfather was.” 

Sasha had finished her bowl and looked at Niccolo with a soft smile. She shot up suddenly. “Maybe it’s like the gardens!” 

“Huh?”

“The Mitras gardens! My dad took me when I was little. It’s right outside the palace. Sometimes during spring, the King would let the commoners come and walk around and look at the gardens. It was magical when I was a kid. I grew up in a forest, there weren’t a lot of flowers, especially such colorful ones. When I was there it felt like I was in a sea of color. It was beautiful. When I joined the scouts I knew I had to go back and see the gardens. At Historia’s coronation, I went again, and it wasn’t as grand as I remembered it. It was actually kind of small. I thought that maybe they had gotten rid of most of it. And there were a lot of bugs. I got stung by a bee. It wasn’t that great. It was still pretty, but the colors weren’t as bright. I had remembered it differently than it actually was. Maybe it’s like that with your grandfather’s recipe. Try it again without the idea that it’s your own creation.” 

Niccolo looked down at the stew, steam floated up and disappeared. He reached for the spoon, but Sasha beat him to it. 

“Wait, I wanna do the thing.” 

Sasha grabbed the spoon and mimicked Niccolo, holding her hand under the spoon so it wouldn’t drip. 

Niccolo wondered if Sasha noticed the blush rushing to his cheeks. If she did, it didn’t show on her face. 

“Open up,” she repeated. 

Niccolo obeyed, his lips wrapped around the spoon and he tasted the stew. It tasted good. The voice in his head told him it wasn’t good enough, but he pushed that thought away. It was delicious. And the look on Sasha’s face, full of hope and anticipation, he wouldn’t dream of taking that away. 

“You’re right. It’s pretty good.” 

Sasha smiled and put the spoon back in the bowl. She yawned and her eyes fluttered closed for a moment. 

“You should go to sleep.” 

Sasha nodded and laid her head down. 

“Not here.” 

“Too tired,” Sasha mumbled into her arm. 

“Come on,” Niccolo said grabbing both bowls and putting them together in the sink. “We should both go to bed. It’s only five hours until breakfast.” 

Sasha smiled and asked, “what’s for breakfast?”

Niccolo pulled one arm around his shoulder and helped her walk out of the kitchen. “I don’t know yet, I’m open to requests.” 

“Hmmm, what was that thing you made, the light bread that was like cake?”

“Pancakes?”

“Yes, pancakes. Can you make that? It’s my favorite.”

Niccolo’s heart sped up when Sasha’s head leaned on his chest. He was looking down at her and didn’t see the wall they ran into. He back up, rubbing his nose. Sasha giggled a few times, her eyes still closed. 

“Sorry, sorry,” he said quietly. 

A door opened and the tall, horse-face cadet stepped out, rubbing his eyes. He looked at Niccolo and then down at Sasha, who was beginning to snore. 

“She fell asleep in the kitchen. I’m just, making sure she gets back to her room.” 

“Mhmm.” Jean leaned against the door. “Go on then, it’s the last on the left.” 

Niccolo nodded, turning and walking down the hall. He glanced behind him and saw Jean was still watching, his head tilted down. 

“Alright, Sasha, we’re here.” He said pulling her arm off around his shoulder and guiding her inside. He made sure to keep in the hallway, in sight of Jean. Sasha took one step on her own and fell to the ground. Niccolo closed his eyes and took a look at Jean, who was snickering. He waved his hand at Niccolo, which allowed him to enter her room. 

“Okay, I got you.” Niccolo wrapped one arm around Sasha’s waist and the other on her head, lifting her up. Sasha was not helping him in the slightest, she moaned and let gravity pull her down to the floor. “Come on, Sasha.” 

Niccolo gave up trying to drag her and slung his other arm under her legs. “You are so difficult, you know that?” 

He placed her gently down on her bed, pushing the blanket back with his foot. “I could have had a quiet life, just me and my kitchen. But you had to come along and be so loud.” He brought the covers up to her chin. He brushed her bangs out of her eyes. “So damn loud,” he said softer. 

“I never planned on meeting you.” 

He took one last look and walked out, closing her door behind him. He kept his head down and walked quickly back down the hallway, wanting to clean up the kitchen before going to bed. 

“So,” Jean’s voice dragged out, causing Niccolo to stop in his tracks. “You and Sasha have been...hanging out?”

“Oh, no, not really. She just came in tonight after her shift. I was….messing around in the kitchen.” 

Jean clicked his tongue and walked forward. “I know what your people say about us when we’re not there.” 

Niccolo shook his head, “I don’t think-”

“Oh of course not,” Jean said with a wide smile. He smacked one hand on Niccolo’s shoulder. “But I won’t have Sasha become some game for you to win.” 

Niccolo looked Jean in the eye, “she won’t.” 

“Alright then, as you were, Mister Niccolo.” 

Niccolo walked back down the stairs. He cleaned the kitchen and checked the pantry for tomorrow’s breakfast request. He had everything he needed, but he was low on syrup. He could just serve them without syrup. If he wanted to get more he’d have to get on a horse and go to the ship. That would take an hour there and back. He looked at the watch on his wrist. 

He put on his boots and headed for the stables.


	2. It was just a dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niccolo wakes up from a nightmare on the day the Scouts return from retrieving Eren

_Niccolo could see it, plain as day. Sasha, lying in a pool of her own blood, crying, in pain. And he wasn’t there. He couldn’t reach her. He couldn’t touch her. He couldn’t even call out to her._

  
_Conne and Jean were kneeling beside her, holding their hands over her wound. Their hands cupped her face, they called out her name._

  
_Sasha looked past them, looked past the screaming soldiers, to Niccolo. Niccolo knew he was starring at him. She smiled, blood dripped out of the corners of her mouth._

  
_Niccolo stood there, eyes wide, his hands were balled into fists at his side. His mind screamed at him to go to her, to hold her. She wanted him beside her, for her final moments. But he couldn’t, he was just out of reach._

  
“ _Nicco_ -”

Niccolo sat up quickly in bed, his heart beating out of his chest. He clutched at the sweat-soaked shirt and pulled it off over his head. He stood up and opened the curtains, it was still dark out, but he could see the first sliver of sunrise on the horizon. Today was the day, the Scouts would return. Sasha would be home.

  
For days now, he’s had the same dream. Sasha being shot, her dying on the floor and no one can stop it.

  
“It’s just a dream.” He had told himself over and over again.

  
“It’s just a dream,” Niccolo said shutting the curtains. He grabbed a new shirt and pants and headed to take a shower.

Sasha would expect a big feast when she came home.

  
_If she came home._

  
“It’s just a dream.”

  
He had gone into the city a few days before, purchased as much meat as he was allowed, and brought it back. Niccolo thought that if he spent the day cooking, the time would go by faster and before he knew it, he would hear the stampede of feet coming up the stairs and into the kitchen. He would hear Sasha’s voice aching for food, demanding something better than the travel food they had brought with them.

  
That did not happen. The time went by so slowly, every time Niccolo looked at his watch, only a few minutes had passed. He decided to take it off and stick it in his pocket. No use waiting for a specific time. They’d arrive when they arrive. It might not even be today, it could be tomorrow.

  
_Or not at all._

  
“It’s just a dream.”

  
A soft rumble came from upstairs and down into the first-floor hallway. Niccolo immediately abandoned the kitchen and ran with them.

  
“What’s going on?”

  
“The airship landed, we’re meeting them to unpack.”

  
“Have a feast ready for us when we get back, okay, Niccolo?”

  
Niccolo nodded, but he wished to run out with them. He wanted to be there when Sasha got off the ship.

  
_If-_

  
“Shut up!” Niccolo said to an empty barrack.

  
He went back to the kitchen and forced himself to focus on the meal.

  
The scouts left in a rush, this hadn’t been the plan. Niccolo had been planning to confess to Sasha, to tell her how he felt. But he was a coward, he couldn’t just spit it out right before she left. He needed time. He was going to take her on a picnic, he got her favorite meal and flowers he knew she liked, he had a speech prepared, and if he couldn’t find it in himself to tell her, he wrote a letter explaining everything. He would just hand it to her and run for the hills. But then, they left. Sasha flung herself at him, briefly, and said “see you soon, Nicco,” and left. He didn’t even have time to hug her back.

  
With shaking hands, Niccolo set the table. He had almost dropped dishes many times, and the more time passed the worse off he seemed to be.  
Everything was set, he straightened out the forks and knives, cut creased the napkins flat. He stood at the head of the table, his apron covered in various sauces and white powder. He carefully took off the apron, hanging it over a laundry basket in the corner with his other dirty rags.

  
What would he say to Sasha when she got back?

  
He didn’t even have time to question himself, the soft rumbling of the ground signaled the return of the Scouts. He pushed his back against the wall, his eyes wide and ready to scan every face that came through the front door.  
First were some random scouts he didn’t recognize, then, Jean and Connie, they weren’t smiling.

  
Niccolo stepped forward. Jean caught his eye, he tilted his head back towards the front door.

  
With that signal, Niccolo took off. He ran past the two and through the small crowd of Scouts who were bustling through the camp. He could already hear the clattering of silverware, he could almost see the big mess that he would have to clean up after they were done eating. But that didn’t matter, not right now.

  
He looked across the scouts, scanning the top of everyone’s head. He saw a brown ponytail wave and he took off, his hand outstretched. He was about to rest his hand on the shoulder when they turned around.

  
“Oh, Hange, I apologize. I thought-”

  
“She’s back there, helping unload ammunition. Although I doubt she’ll wait much longer, she’s been talking about what you’ll be cooking the whole ride back. All of us are starving thanks to her.”

  
Niccolo blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. “There’s plenty for everyone.”  
“Well go on, then,” Hange winked and patted his arm.

  
Niccolo forced himself to slow his pace.

  
She was alright.

  
She was okay.

  
She was alive.

  
His dream was just that. A dream.

  
He would be able to talk to her.

  
Hold her. If he wanted to.

  
The first glimpse he saw was a tiny ponytail of brown hair, her face was hidden over the rifles placed upon her shoulder. She was singing softly to herself, he heard the words “meat, dinner, and desire” and he couldn’t help but smile. He hadn’t heard this melody before, but he knew that he wanted to hear it again.

  
He cleared his throat and Sasha turned, the rifles turned with her and smacked Niccolo in the side of the head. He dropped to one knee and held a hand to the already stinging patch of skin.

  
“Ah, Niccolo!” She placed the rifles down on the ground and knelt down in front of the wounded blond. “I am so sorry, I didn’t see you.” She brought her hands up to his face, “let me see.”

  
His eyes were watering but he obeyed and lowered his hands to his lap. The vision in his left eye was blurry and every second his line of vision lessened. He jumped slightly when her hands replaced where his had been.

  
“Sorry, they’re probably cold.”

  
“It’s fine.”

  
“Why are you out here? Shouldn’t you be at dinner?”

  
Niccolo leaned into her touch. “I, uh, wanted to see you.”

  
Normally, Niccolo wouldn’t have been so upfront, but the swelling in his brain was clouding his judgment.

  
Although he couldn’t really see it, Sasha was smiling. “I had...nightmares. I just wanted to make sure you’re alright.”

  
Sasha turned his head to the side and gently ran her fingers down the now swollen part of his face.

  
“I’m alright, definitely better off than you right now. Here, stay right here, I just unloaded the medkits. Don’t move.”

  
Niccolo grunted and sat down, leaning on his hands, his head lifted up to the darkening sky. He thought about all the ways this interaction could have gone differently. Honestly, he didn’t really have a plan, he probably would have just stood there with his mouth open like an idiot until she noticed him. Then it would have been awkward small talk until she smelled the food and left him in a cloud of dust. He guessed it could have been worse. He had Sasha Blouse tending to him, her rough and yet gentle hands brushing over his wounds, her voice gentle and slightly amused rang through his ears like a symphony. Even though physically, he was in a lot of pain, he cherished this moment.

  
“I got a cold rag and some bandages. Hange had some new medicine but honestly, I don’t know how it works and I don’t want to make you grow a third eye or something.”

  
Niccolo laughed and it made him dizzy. “It’s an anti-inflammatory drug. It’ll help with the swelling.”

  
“Maybe I should get you to the med barrack,” Sasha said hesitantly.

  
“No,” Niccolo responded quickly. “No, it’s not that hard. You can do it here.”

  
Sasha opened the kit next to her and held the syringe in her hand. “Uh, yeah, I don’t know what to do with this.”

  
“Just stick it in my arm, it’s fine. I’ve had this done a hundred times.”

  
“You’ve gotten hit in the head 100 times? No wonder you decided to stay in the kitchen.”

  
Niccolo didn’t want to correct her, instead, he just laughed. “I thought it’d be safer, but then I come here and you attack food like it’s the enemy. I am in just as much danger during a meal as you are in battle.”

  
Sasha laughed and it sounded like springtime, the feeling of warmth washed over him and he didn’t feel the needle go into his arm. He knew right there, with one eye closed and a hot pain on the side of his face, he knew that he would do anything and everything to hear her laugh like that again.

  
He reached out his free arm and moved it slowly towards her blurry figure. He brushed some hair behind her ear.

  
“You did great.”

  
“Do you feel better?”

  
“Yes,” he lied. It would take a while for the drug to work, but he continued to smile for her.

  
“I’m still taking you to the med barrack.”  
Niccolo felt Sasha’s arm wrap across his back and lift him up. He stood a good head taller, but he was fully supported by her. He tried his best to walk in a straight line, but he still stumbled. Sasha was talking about how crappy the food was on the airship, that Mikasa had tried to convince her that she had eaten all of her own food and wasn’t allowed anymore.  
“-and I dreamed every night of you cooking.”

  
That time, Niccolo stumbled out of shock. His left eye even opened a bit as he turned his head to look at her.

“Your cooking! I meant your cooking.” She was still a blurry outline, but Niccolo could still see a bit of redness in her cheeks.

  
Niccolo tried to hide his smile and failed.  
“What were these nightmares you were having?” Sasha changed the subject.

  
“Oh,” Niccolo looked away. “Just, nightmares.”

  
“Okay, but were they about the mission? Why did you want to come to see me?”

  
Niccolo suddenly wished he hadn’t said anything. Well, there was no going back now. He might as well tell her the truth.  
“A dream about...you...dying.”

  
Sasha laughed, “as if. I’m way too good to die. Did I at least die in a cool way?”

  
“No.”

  
“Oh no, was I eaten by a Titan?”

  
“No.”

  
“Did I become a Titan?”

  
“No.”

  
“Did Jean push me out of the airship?”

  
“No.”

  
“Well, then how did I die?”

  
“You were shot by some kid. She had climbed onto the airship and shot you.”  
Sasha paused. “That is the stupidest way to die. How did a kid even climb up on the ship? And where did they get a gun? And why wasn’t the door closed? Why did anyone hear the kid coming into the ship? Doesn’t make any sense.”

  
Niccolo smiled softly, “yeah, I guess it does. And you’re safe and alive, so everything is okay.”

  
They arrived at the med barrack, Sasha dropped him on a clean cot. A few cadets were there, laying down being attended by doctors. There were many injuries but not any life-threatening ones.

  
A young doctor walked towards Niccolo and Sasha. “What happened here?”

  
“I hit him in the head with a bunch of rifles,” Sasha said with a cautious smile.  
“Ah,” he wrote on a clipboard. “Lovers quarrel?”

  
Sasha giggled, “no, I just didn’t see him.”

  
“She already gave me the anti-inflammatory drug. My head feels better and I’m regaining sight in my left eye.”

  
The doctor side-eyes Sasha who is still smiling, with an aura of innocence.

  
“Alright then, Sasha, you can leave him here.”

  
Sasha didn’t move.

  
“I’ll stay a bit longer.”

  
Niccolo’s head turned to look up at her. Did she want to stay here? With him? Instead of eating food?

  
“Are you sure? I’m not there to heat up the food, you should go get it while it’s hot.”

  
Sasha pushed Niccolo so he was sitting on only half of the cot, she sat next to him, leaning back against the metal bars. “Well, then I’ll stay until you can leave.

Then you can heat it up for me. I’d do it myself, but I don’t want to burn down the kitchen again.”

  
“I doubt you’d...wait, again?”

  
Niccolo was still sitting up, he fiddled with his fingers in his lap.

  
“Is there...another reason you’re staying here?” He asked quietly.

  
“Well,” Sasha twisted a piece of hair around her finger. “If the Commander or Captain Levi see me in there they’d probably send me back to finish unpacking the supplies, and I don’t really feel like being berated on an empty stomach.”

  
Niccolo nodded. “I see.”

  
“Do you want me to leave? I’ve caused you a good amount of pain-“

  
“No,” he said before she could even finish the sentence. “I mean, you can stay. I’d like it if you’d stay.”

  
“Alright then.”

  
Niccolo looked back at Sasha who had closed her eyes, her head was now tilted down to her shoulder. He scooted backward on the bed and pressed his back to the metal as well. He pulled out the pillow and placed it behind both of their backs. Sasha yawned and moved her head to rest on Niccolo’s shoulder. He hadn’t thought, but she must be exhausted. If he could, he would have gone and got her some food. But right now he was content with her being this close to him.

  
He should tell her soon. Tell her how he feels. His dream was a warning, a rare message from the universe. Time is short, even shorter when you live around the Survey Corps. Screw the picnic and the letter, he could tell her right here and now.

  
Except she was asleep, and he didn’t have the heart to wake her up.

  
Her bangs had slid out from the thin barrette that had been keeping them back. He remembered Yelenea explaining their use to her.

“How did you ever not die from hair in your face?”

  
Sasha put her hands up, “hey, I put most of mine in a ponytail. Mikasa over there has bangs all up in her eyes and hair whipping around everywhere. And don’t even get me started on Historia-”

  
“You address your Queen so casually?”

  
“Only if you lived with her through basic training. How do I put one of those baguettes in my hair?”

  
“Barretts, not bagg...nevermind. Come here.”

  
It hadn’t been gentle, and everyone got a good laugh at Sasha trying to jerk her head out of Yelenea’s iron grasp. Her soft, sharp yelps of pain were followed by an unsympathetic “stop moving”.

  
Afterward, Sasha had raced around the compound, doing cartwheels and shaking her head every which way. The barrettes had held for the most part. She asked for more and ran off saying she was going to show make Jean put them on. Niccolo had watched from the sidelines, his eyes followed Sasha’s erratic skips as she left the area.

  
He only stopped when something flicked his forehead. “If you like staring at her, guess how good it’ll be to talk to her.”  
Niccolo had become flustered, shaking his head back and forth, stuttering over words.

  
“Yes, you’re very obvious. No, she doesn’t know. Yes, pretty much everyone else does. No, no one cares. Yes, you should go talk to her. Go on now.” She kicked the back of his knees with her boot, he crumpled down a bit before walking forward. He might be scared to talk to Sasha, but he was terrified of what Yelena would do if he didn’t.

He took the barret out of her hair and placed it on the bedside table. The hair fell neatly over her forehead, some pieces were stuck together and didn’t move much from their original position. He opened his mouth to confess but shut it again. He may not wait for the perfect time, but he wouldn’t waste the words when she was sleeping. He would find the time and soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> send a request in the comments!!


	3. I Would Have Danced All Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niccolo teaches Sasha how to dance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to "Guest" for suggesting this! Y'all give me more prompts and I will write them! I am open to any AU's you might be interested in. 
> 
> Also, today's episode absolutely destroyed me and it brought me a lot of happiness to write this.

Hange and Levi stood in front of the cadets alongside Yelena and Onyonkapon. The cadets sat in chairs with their heads tilted to the side in confusion. Mikasa raised her hand in the air. 

“You must participate,” Levi answered without waiting for her question. 

Mikasa slowly lowered her hand. 

“Come on, guys,” Hange roared. “It’ll be fun!”

Jean raised his hand but didn’t wait to be called on. “I’m confused. I thought the party was for elected officials and high-class bastards only. We haven’t gone any other year.”

“Your Queen has graciously invited my team and then extended the invitation to the scouting regiment,” Yelena explained. “And apparently,” she side-eyed Levi, “you all have not been properly trained in high-class etiquette.” 

Levi scoffed but did not argue. 

“Yelena’s squad has graciously offered to help train us for the party!” Hange smiled as they put one hand on Yelena’s shoulder. “You’ll be paired up with one of her people, and in a week, you won’t even be able to tell your part of the scouts.” 

“We’re not wearing our uniforms?” Armin looked like he was just asked to run naked around the barracks. 

“No, we will all be wearing civilian clothes.” 

“We don’t own civilian clothes that would be acceptable for the Queen’s court,” Eren said as he leaned forward, placing his arms on his legs. 

“Leave that to us,” Onyonkapon said with a glimmer in his eyes. 

“Commander, are we sure this is the best use of our time?” Eren asked softly. 

“Yes,” Hange answered without hesitation. “Now report to your partners.”

The cadets stood and saluted before leaving with murmurs. 

“I have food etiquette with Evangeline,” Connie said as he zipped up his boots. 

“Ugh, I want to go to food etiquette.” 

Jean bumped Sasha lightly on the head, “Sasha, you don’t get to eat food. You just have to learn the different kinds of forks and spoons. There are like, twelve of them.”

“That’s too many spoons,” Connie groaned. 

“I have to go get fitted for an outfit,” Jean complained, pulled at the corners of his hair. 

“Me too,” Mikasa admitted. 

Jean beamed, and his mood suddenly changed. “Well, let’s not keep them waiting.” 

Jean and Mikasa left, Jean talking with his hands and Mikasa not paying attention. 

“Where are you going, Sasha?”

“Um, dance lessons.” Sasha crossed her hands together behind her head. “I’ll have it mastered by lunch.”

Connie side-eyed his best friend. “Mhmm, sure. You don’t remember Commander Hange’s birthday last year, do you?”

“I remember you submitting defeat. You were kneeling before me,” Sasha recalled dramatically.

“I was kneeling because you had fallen on your ass. Ten seconds before, you had loudly declared that you were the best dancer on the island and challenged everyone. Before anyone could accept it, you started spinning, ran straight into a wooden beam, and knocked yourself out.”

Sasha laughed nervously, “I’m sure that’s not exactly what happened.” 

“You’re right. You also grabbed the table cloth and dragged it down with you. We lost a lot of cups that day. Captain Levi would have killed you if he had been there.”

“Whatever, I’m still amazing at dancing, drunk or not.” Sasha left Connie before he could dispute her claim. She was supposed to meet her dance teacher in the secondary mess hall. 

Honestly, she was excited to go to a ball. Her mother had told her stories growing up, of princesses going to parties and meeting handsome princes, her mother would kiss her head at night as say “sweet dreams, princess”. When Historia took on her role as Queen, she had imagined her being in a big poofy dress with lots of sparkles and a large tiara, and a handsome prince at her side. Well, none of that happened. Princesses and balls were better kept in the safety of leather-bound books, the real world would eat them alive. But for one night, she would get to play princess. 

Throwing open the doors, Sasha walked into a nearly empty room. The tables had been pushed back and the chairs stacked on top of each other. She saw someone leaned over a phonograph, she walked closer and tapped them on the shoulder. They jumped a mile high and almost knocked it over, Sasha grabbed one side and helped stand it back up. 

“Sorry, I didn’t hear you.”

“Niccolo!” Sasha announced loudly. “You’re teaching me how to dance?”

“I was…” he lifted his hand to push some hair behind his ear, “...volunteered.” He didn’t want to say that he pulled the short straw and was in charge of helping the island Eldians prepare for the ball. He was looking forward to focusing on the meals and snacks he was going to provide, but they wanted to torture him by making him teach the survey corps how to waltz. He guessed that they hadn’t expected him to succeed, but this was some sort of punishment, for what he didn’t know. 

“Alright then, sir. I’m ready to learn.” Sasha saluted and tried to hide a smile at Niccolo’s shock. 

After five minutes of Niccolo explaining the pretext of waltzing, how one is asked to dance, and the proper etiquette of accepting or declining a request. She became less confident in her ability even to begin the actual choreography. 

“Hold your arms out like this, no,” Niccolo lightly grabbed her wrists and moved them to the correct position, “like this. Good.”

“I have to keep my arms like this the entire time?”

Niccolo smiled, “you hold those heavy ODM gear all day and you can’t keep your arms up for one dance?”

Sasha rolled her eyes and shook her bangs out of her eyes. “Killing titans seems easier than this.” 

“It’s just a waltz, it’s very easy. I learned it in primary school.”

“How often did you waltz in school?”

“Not at all, it was just something they wasted time on.” 

Sasha whined, “how much longer do I have to keep my arms up?” 

Niccolo walked over to the phonograph, he dropped the needle and light waltz music echoed throughout the hall. He walked back over to Sasha, whose arms were still up. She smiled lazily at him, watching his movements. He hesitantly lifted his hand and locked it around hers, his other hand slipped around her waist and rested lightly on her back. He stepped a bit closer, her eyes went wide at his advance and quickly averted her gaze to over his shoulder. 

“This is the starting stance, it’s how the dance begins. Then we move in beats of three, okay? One, two three.” He led her backward, and she stumbled, her hand gripped his shoulder. “Okay, you have to step back though.”

“Why can’t I step forward?”

“Because I’m the guy. I lead the dance.”

“That doesn’t seem fair,” Sasha pouted. 

“Do you know the dance?” Sasha shook her head. “Okay, then, I’ll lead. Just don’t overthink about it. You have to trust me that I’ll know where to go.”

Sasha took a deep breath and cleared her mind. She stared into Niccolo’s light brown eyes, they reminded her of those cookies that came in a basket from the town square back in her village. They were soft and made her feel warm and safe. “I trust you.” 

“Let’s try again,” Niccolo said softly ignoring the fluttering in his heart. “One, two, three.”

They moved throughout the mess hall, feet keeping in time. Niccolo ran his thumb over the side of her hand as they glided around. The music had grown louder as it went on, but Niccolo could barely hear with the sound of his heart in his head. Sasha’s hair would wrap slightly around her neck every time he swept her across the room, she smiled and giggled when he spun her around his hand. 

They continued to dance until Niccolo finally realized that the music had stopped. He held her close, his head lowered in exhaustion, sweat began to form on his forehead. Sasha was breathing quickly, small parts of her bangs stuck to her cheeks. He let go of her hand and moved the bangs off her skin, tucking them behind her ear. 

Together they were in their little bubble, time stood still and they stood close, so close that it wouldn’t even take that much effort for Niccolo to lower his head and-

“Are you done yet?” A voice jerked them apart a few feet. “Niccolo is time for lunch.”

A week later the scouts were standing awkwardly around a waiting room in the palace.

Sasha continued to twirl, watching the light tulle of fabric rise as she spun faster and faster. 

“Sasha, stop spinning. You’ll make yourself dizzy.” Levi said as he walked past the rest of his squad. Jean was tugging at the tight collar of his shirt. Eren was stretching his legs out, the fabric of his pants stretching with every squat. Mikasa was playing tug of war with Hange over her scarf. Armin was struggling to put on cufflinks. Connie was the only one who wasn’t a cause of Levi’s oncoming headache, he sat on a chair looking at his reflection in the window. “Let’s go. Don’t embarrass me.” 

Sasha was still trying to steady herself as the rest of the squad left the waiting room. Once the room stopped spinning, she took a few hesitant steps forward. She was looking down at her rose gold color dress. It was modest, with puffy sleeves and a high neckline, the base fabric was silk, the material reached right to her feet and she was forced into stiff heels so she wouldn’t trip over the dress, she swore she would stumble in the deathtrap shoes Yelena forced her into. 

Walking as fast as she could without falling flat on her face, Sasha follows the sound of music coming from down the hall. 

She entered the large ballroom, people dressed in long dresses and expensive suits, people laughed and some danced. She immediately sought eyes on a large table to small versions of food. Tiny sandwiches and cakes line the entire length of the table, she changed course and headed straight towards the food until a hand gripped her wrist and pulled her away with a soft whine. Another hand gripped her waist and spun her around to face the one who was keeping her away from what looked like the most expensive food she would have eaten. She opened her mouth to irate them until she saw it was Niccolo. 

“But-”

“You’ll get some later, but I was told to make sure you don’t stay at the food table for the entire night. And if you go there now not even a titan would be able to pull you away.” He pulled her into the middle of the ballroom and lifted his hand that held her up, her other hand onto his shoulder. “You look beautiful,” he said with glowing red cheeks. 

“Thank you,” she lowered her head down to get away from his intense gaze. He smelled like cinnamon, and she wondered what new delicious treats he had cooked up for today. Her mind wandered and she pictured Niccolo baking. Her favorite was when he made bread, his arms would flex as he kneaded the dough. The warm smell of bread filled the kitchen and she would watch him methodically clean the kitchen, everyone, including Niccolo assumed she was staring at the food. It started that way, and even still she would watch the process, but mostly she liked watching him. He never really grew accustomed to her presence, but she overlooked the light blush on his cheeks and wrote it off as heat from the oven or stove. 

“You know, you were the only one who picked up the waltz.” His soft voice brought her back from her memories. “The others had absolutely no rhythm.”

Sasha grinned proudly and looked around for the rest of her team. Mikasa stood close to Eren whose back seemed to be glued to the wall, his arms crossed as he looked up at the ceiling. Armin was nearby talking to an older woman who was caressing his arm. Jean was leaning next to Mikasa talking to her, but she obviously wasn’t listening. Connie was swaying back and forth on his feet sipping on something that waiters were carrying around. Hange was talking excitedly about something to a horrified crowd, with their hands clutching the chests. Levi tugged on their jacket and pulled them back, he bowed slightly to the crowd then turned to scold his commander. Off on the other side of the masses, Yelena and Onyonkapon looked as if they fit right in, laughing with a group of other socialites, every so often they would look over to the scouts and confer with each other, then go back to their conversation. 

“So, you are here to make sure we don’t embarrass you?”

Niccolo hesitated, “no.” then after a glare from his dance partner, he averted his eyes and whispered, “yes. But think of it more as, we want you all to have a great time, and to make sure you get the most out of the night.” 

“And you got stuck with me?”

“I wouldn’t say it like that.”

The music ended and they stopped dancing, clapping for the musicians. Sasha’s eyes flicked between the table and Niccolo. He laughed and nodded his head, “try to eat in moderation.”

Before she could run full out towards the table, Niccolo wrapped her arm around his, keeping them at a slow pace. She pulled on his arm, and he was, again, surprised by her strength and was forced into a faster walk. 

They got to the table and Sasha reached out one hand to grab a circular cake with white icing and the cinnamon smell that lingered on Niccolo. 

“Just pick one,” he said to her, knowing she wouldn’t listen. 

She picked three, stacking them on top of each other, and held them close to her chest, but careful enough not to spill anything. Niccolo grabbed a plate and held it out to her, she set them down and Niccolo led them away from the temptation table. “We can come back,” he said smiling. 

“What’s this called?”

“Cinnamon rolls.” He watched her take a bite. Every time he gave her something new his heart would stop, he couldn’t stop his smile as her eyes lit up and she smiled wide. Then, after his heart stopped working, it went into overdrive. Beating so fast that he thought it would explode right out of his chest. 

The rest of the night consisted of a cycle: eat food, dance, get more food, eat the food, dance, and repeat. 

Sasha had tried to get Connie and Jean to dance with her, but they stepped on her feet and ran into other people. Sasha laughed smugly and walked them back to the edge of the rooms, pointing fingers in their faces. 

Niccolo walked up to Yelena, “this seems to be going well.” 

Onyonkapon handed both of them a glass of champagne. “Easy for you, you get to dance and eat cakes with the cute one. I have to make sure Hange doesn’t mentally scar the common population of Paradis, try to force Eren to do anything but look like he’s planning the murder of everyone in the room, and get Mikasa to go anywhere without Eren.”

Niccolo smirked, suddenly very grateful that he was volunteered for this role. It also helped that none of the other anti-Marleyan team wouldn’t go near the scouting regiment with a ten-foot pole.

He looked over at Sasha, who was “discreetly” shoving puff cream pastries in her mouth, she caught him staring and quickly hid the rest that was in her hands behind her back. She smiled at him, her cheeks full and it made her look like a chipmunk. Niccolo couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head. He started walking over to her, she noticed and quickly shoved the remaining cream puffs into Connie's hands. She then put on her best innocent face and grinned as Niccolo stopped beside her. 

“Miss Braus, may I request another dance?” He bowed slightly, holding out his hand. 

“Mister Niccolo, I graciously accept,” she curtsied and placed her hand in his.

The night eventually came to an end, Levi had gathered his squad and was heading out. He commanded Sasha to leave the food she had tried to bring with her, so she pouted and walked back to the table to set down the plate she had stacked high with cinnamon rolls. She caught Niccolo’s eye and winked before grabbing one and stuffing it in her mouth. She waved graciously at him before turning and leaving the room. 

Niccolo ran his thumb over her hand, he could still feel the soft fabric in his palm as he pushed and pulled her with him in time with the music. He never liked dancing, it was something he was taught and the only time he actually did it was when his mother forced him to. But if given the opportunity, he would have danced all night with Sasha.


End file.
